국내 수송용 석유제품 시장의 시장구조와 가격행태 = Market Structure and Pricing Behavior in the Korean Transportation Fuel Market

국문 초록 (Abstract)

본 논문에서는 경제이론과 실증분석을 통하여 이명박 정부가 석유제품 시장에 개입한 논거를 평가하였다. 한국을 포함하여 세계적으로 정제산업은 과점이 보편적이며, 역차별적인 수준의 대외 시장개방에도 불구하고 석유제품 시장에서 국내 정유4사의 시장점유율이 높게 지속되는 이유는 정유4사가 국제적인 가격경쟁력을 보유하고 있고 MOPS 가격을 기준으로 경쟁적인 가격책정을 하고 있기 때문이다. 국내 세전 소비자가격은 일본의 가격과 ‘27개 EU권 국가의 가격들을 가중평균한 값’보다 통계적으로 유의하게 현저히 낮았다. 한국, 일본, 14개 EU권 국가들을 대상으로 가격 비대칭성의 존재여부와 상세내역을 분석한 결과, 휘발유의 경우 한국 과 11개 EU권 국가, 경유의 경우 한국과 8개 EU권 국가에서 비대칭성이 있는 것으로 판별되었 다. 가격 비대칭성은 다양한 경제, 경영적 원인에 의해 다양한 제품과 시장구조에서 발생한다. 소비자 복지의 관점에서는 한국의 세전 소비자가격이 현저히 낮다는 점이 제일 중요하다.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

We evaluate two main rationales of massive policy intervention of Lee Administration in the Korean transportation fuel market: high market share of domestic refineries, perceived by the Administration as the result of high market concentration, and asymmetry in price adjustment, perceived as the result of collusion. Domestic refineries, huge in capacity and located at seaports, maintain international competitiveness in price. Considering market openness offering preferential treatment to importers, they set domestic prices competitively on the basis of MOPS prices. Yet, the price competitiveness of domestic refineries is so high that they are able to sustain high market share. We confirm that the Korean before-tax consumer prices of gasoline and diesel are lower than Japan’s and the weighted averages of 27 EU countries by as much as 159KRW and 21KRW per liter in the case of gasoline and 170KRW and 63KRW in the case of diesel. Price asymmetry is caused by diverse economic and managerial reasons and, as FTC (2005) states, price asymmetry does not immediately imply exercise of market power or collusion. We analyzed price asymmetry in Korea, Japan and 14 EU countries, and found asymmetry in Korea and 11 EU countries in the case of gasoline and in Korea and 8 EU countries in the case of diesel.

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